Have you heard? Reading this blog, you must have. It’s almost here. The keynote of Apple’s Worldwide Developer Conference, and the third significant update to the iPhone’s hardware and software, is just a few hours away.
But (take a deep breath) if there’s one thing that watching Apple has taught me over the past few years, it’s this:
- Bloggers over-sell
- Apple under-delivers
Before you get out the pitchforks, let me explain. Let’s face it, very few bloggers have much in the way of real information to go on, especially when it comes to Apple. There are just tidbits of knowledge and rumour here and there. So how do we come up with anything worthwhile from the sea of speculation?
It’s a case of: taking what the Internet provides, imagining what could be, while being careful not to inject too much of “Oh, I would love that!”. Then you try to apply some common sense, by running it through the wringer of “What makes sense for Apple?”
I’ve been guilty of hyping things up myself, I know. All the rumours are whipped up into a frenzy of tech-lust. But the requirements of bloggers and other commentators can never be satiated. Apple, in a sense, will always under-deliver in the eyes of techno-utopians. Anyone remember this famous comment from Cmdr Taco on Slashdot when the original iPod was released in 2001? “No wireless, less space than a Nomad. Lame”.
Yet even though the massive, never-ending wishlist of the blogosphere will never be met, sometimes Apple do pull off quite the surprise. The original iMac, the iPod, the iPhone, for example. Although some of them may have been anticipated in some way, the form and the function are never quite exactly predicted. There’s always one more thing that does surprise. Apple’s last major shock (the iPhone) sent shockwaves through the mobile phone industry. Can they come up with anything of that magnitude again? Mobile video iChat? I’m trying to contain my excitement about the possibilities (see above, “over-hyping”).
One of the best people for cutting through the crap with a sensible argument is John Gruber. If you haven’t read Daring Fireball lately, then while you’re waiting for the real news to come through, head over and read this piece for John’s thoughts on WWDC and this piece on what the next iPhone could look like.
See you on the other side…
(unless you want to follow me on Twitter 😉 )